The Arts Union (german: Gewerkschaft Kunst) was a

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

representing cultural workers in West Germany. The union was founded on 26 August 1949, at a conference in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

. It was initially based in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, but relocated to

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...

in 1955. The union initially had five sections: * Association of Visual Artists * German Musicians' Union *

Guild of the German Stage The Guild of the German Stage (''Genossenschaft Deutscher Bühnen-Angehöriger'', or GDBA) is the guild for people who work on the legitimate stage. Its members come from both the areas of stagecraft and artistic workers in theaters from all over Ge ...

International Artists' Lodge The International Artists' Lodge (german: Internationale Artisten-Loge, IAL) is a trade union section and former independent trade union, representing variety and circus performers in Germany. The union was founded on 5 April 1901, on the initiativ ...

* Professional Association of Journalists and Writers (transferred to Printing and Paper Union in 1951) Other sections were created later, including the Broadcast Television Film Union, the Union of Music Educators and Concert Artists, and the Jazz/rock/pop/improvised music group. By 1988, the union had a membership of 29,613. The following year, it merged with the Printing and Paper Union, to form the

Media Union The Media Union (german: IG Medien – Druck und Papier, Publizistik und Kunst) was a trade union representing German workers in the printing, paper, journalism and arts. The union was founded on 15 April 1989 at a meeting in Hamburg, with the me ...

Presidents

:1949: Willi Feldmann :1954: Heinrich Wüllner :1962:

Viktor de Kowa Viktor de Kowa (also spelled Victor de Kowa, born Victor Paul Karl Kowalczyk; 8 March 1904 – 8 April 1973) was a German stage and film actor, chanson singer, director, narrator, and comic poet. Life He was born the son of a farmer and engineer ...

:1966:

Wolfgang Windgassen Wolfgang Windgassen (26 June 1914 – 8 September 1974) was a heldentenor internationally known for his performances in Wagner operas. Life and career Born in Annemasse, France, he was the son (and pupil) of a well known German Heldentenor, Fritz ...

:1973: Otto Sprenger :1980: Alfred Horné

References

{{Authority control Entertainment industry unions Trade unions established in 1948 Trade unions disestablished in 1989 Trade unions in Germany